Big bucks line up against greenhouse gas legislation

Those opposing give $25.1 million to senators

President Obama spoke today, as he did in the 2013 State of the Union speech, about limiting greenhouse gas emissions. He announced executive actions he can take. But MapLight, a group tracking how money flows through political bodies, points out that since 2007, attempts to pass legislation for a market-based system to limit greenhouse gas emissions have died in the Senate. Why? One hint: companies in utilities, chemicals, coal mining, oil and gas and other industries opposing such legislation have given senators $25.1 million in the 2009-2012 period. Groups that would favor such legislation have given $4.2 million.